Olympic torchbearer: Tara Mifflin

We're looking again at LGBT Olympic torchbearers and their nomination stories:

Tara Mifflin of Leeds, age 41
Carrying the Flame through Y Felinheli
Carrying the Flame on 28 May 2012


Tara's nomination story
I have worked closely with Stonewall (against Homophobic Bullying) as a youth leader volunteer. I have used my own time at weekends and evenings to help to 'make a difference' to the youth volunteer programme. Stonewall has successfully run this project for 3 years and depends on volunteers like myself to deliver the campaign across the whole of the UK.
It was my responsibility to help my youth volunteers deliver their own specific campaign against homophobic bullying. We had weekly tele contact to discuss how each stage of their campaign was progressing. Together I helped set up a robust 'business plan' and strategy, from helping print posters to contacting schools to gain permission for the girls to deliver their campaigns. I acted as a mentor and confident as well as a sounding board, I supported through challenging situations including direct discrimination and abuse. One of volunteers was nominated for the young campaigner of the year 2011 which made me feel really proud and this is when I realised that all my hardwork,comitment and dedication had paid off.
The campaign with approx 15 youth volunteers and 7 youth leaders helped 'reach' over 10,000 people across the UK who will hopefully be better educated about how homophobic bullying can affect gay, lesbian and bisexual young adults. I was also invited to attend the presentation ceremony in March where Ben Sumerskill presented all the youth volunteers with awards. It was a truely amazing day.

Why she's moving to Cleveland: part 8

Gail L Palmer held the title of Alaska Writer’s Guild Slam Champion (two years running) before moving back to the Lower 48 for the greatest reason of all… L-O-V-E

And where has she moved? To Cleveland! We'll be presenting her reasons for loving this choice over the next few days.

Reason 8:

Nightlife

I’m not a party girl but I want to live somewhere with a variety of entertainment options, funky restaurants, small and large theatrical stages, coffee shops with open mics and so much more. I want choices. And yet I don’t want to have to drive great distances or fight crowds of people for a ticket. I want bigger than Brigantine and smaller than New York. I want Cleveland – a place where it’s all downtown – which brings me to the D in Cleveland.

My Gay Games story: Noel Baggett, San Francisco

Photo Golden Gate Wrestling Club

We're keen to hear your stories of your experience of preparing for and participating in the Gay Games. Here is the story of San Francisco's  Noel Baggett. What's your story? Write us!
 
Years ago I did some wrestling in high school and a little in college. It was scary for me, but I felt OK once I was on the mat. I always wanted to get back to it, but never managed to. I thought I was too old for it, but a friend encouraged me to look into it and suggested I contact the Golden Gate Wrestling Club. I went there and, at age 62, I started wrestling again.

I've always been frightened by physical confrontation. Although I don't remember, several family members have told me that I was hit a lot by several family members when I was very young. I believe I'm dealing with this fear when I wrestle.

I've been wrestling for almost a year and a half, and it's been a slow, grueling process. At first I got frustrated easily because I was so slow physically and mentally. My coaches were very patient and allowed me to grow out of that behavior. My flexibility and balance were terrible at first, but have improved a lot. My strength is good and so is my endurance. Nevertheless, I tire easily because I'm so tense. I'm slowly learning to relax when I wrestle.

I work with weights twice a week, but have made the workout more aerobic and am concentrating on free weights to get muscles to work together. I also run several times a week and am now into interval training where I do a lot of short-distance speed work.

I entered my first tournament after about six months of wrestling. I was helpless on my feet and on defense almost the whole time. At my second tournament a few months later I did even worse. I've got a fledging offense now and am in better wrestling shape. I'm still a little scared and tense, but not as much as before. Due to good coaching I've been free of serious injury. For years I had this gut feeling that I wanted to wrestle and am ecstatic that I have the opportunity to do so at my age.

-- Noel Baggett, Golden Gate Wrestling Club, April 2005

Roger Brigham on the need for a single quadrennial LGBT sport and culture event

In Outsports, Roger Brigham gives insights into the project for a joint Gay Games/Outgames event:


When the FGG and GLISA recently announced that they had ended two years of talk on running a combined global sports and cultural festival in 2018, the wheels were set in motion for plans for Gay Games X to go forward, and critics predictably began to criticize both organizations and their failure to reach agreement.

Most of the criticism has been based on feelings, rather than fact; and some of it has bordered on counter-productive spite. I’d like to present my thoughts on this topic and my hopes for the future. I have been connected to the subject since it was first raised through my various roles since 2003 with the FGG, Team San Francisco, Wrestlers WithOut Borders and Golden Gate Wrestling Club. Before joining the FGG board late last season, I reported on the talks, events and organizations extensively. The thoughts I offer here are my own, not necessarily representative of the organizations with which I am involved.

Why is [a single quadrennial LGBT sport and culture event] not only desirable, but inevitable and even necessary?

Some things are too big to fail, but others are too big to fly. The bigger an event is, the more components and disciplines and participants it requires, and the greater and greater demands it places on its host for adequate mass transit, adequate accommodations, adequate facilities, and sufficient volunteers and other workers. The history of the Olympic Games (which take about 2.5 weeks to complete) and the Gay Games suggest a multi-sport festival maxes out at about 12,000 athletes and 30 to 40 disciplines. And the bigger it gets, the fewer cities capable of hosting it.

That is the range at which the original 1QE, maxed out in the years 1994 to 2006: the range sustainable by LGBT sports organizations and hosts alike.

The mainstream Olympic Games for elite athletes, through massive government underwriting, corporate sponsorship and television revenues, are just able to sustain that once every two years (Winter Olympics every two years; Summer Olympics in the other even numbered years). LGBT sports, drawing on a far smaller participatory population base and with a fraction of the government and sponsorship backing, are barely able to sustain that only once every four years — and even then only through the massive “sweat equity” put into it by the volunteer athletes and organizations who step up to help the hosts.

Keep reading HERE.

In-depth story on Nike LGBT Sport Summit

The Oregonian has an in-depth story on last weekend's Nike LGBT Sport Summit:

Planning for the event started about nine months ago when Kirk Walker, the Oregon State University softball coach, told Cyd Zeigler, Jr., co-founder of the publication Outsports.com, he should contact Goman of Nike.

Participants roster
Organizations involved in the summit included: American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance; Athlete Ally; Br{ache the Silence; Campus Pride; ESPN; Fearless campaign; Federation of Gay Games; Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD); Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN); I Am Enough; It Gets Better project; National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR); National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); Nike; Our Group; Outsports; StandUp Foundation; and You Can Play project

Walker, who is openly gay, knew Zeigler was interested in creating an event to bring together several groups that "were not working together toward their common goal of opening sports to everyone," Zeigler said.

"The communication and trust that was built over this weekend can do that."

Les Johnson,an official with Federation of Gay Games, said Nike was a good host, providing food and a place to meet, the Tiger Woods Conference Center.

Two facilitators associated with Nike guided discussion. Someone else from the company took notes to be distributed to participants.

Two facilitators associated with Nike guided discussion. Someone else from the company took notes that are expected to be distributed to participants.

The event from Thursday evening to Saturday afternoon was one of the latest focused on LGBT issues on the campus.

In the past year, the campus has featured speakers including English rugby player Ben Cohen, founder of the StandUP Foundation; Rick Welts, the Golden State Warriors president and chief of operations; U.S. Olympian Jessica Mendoza; and Hudson Taylor, Columbia University wrestling coach and founder of Athlete Ally. Cohen and Taylor spoke at the summit.

Also, Nike has several groups, called “networks” that promote diversity. The Nike LGBT & Friends Network was recently awarded the “Corporate Excellence” award from the Portland Q Center. Also, the company has been recognized by the Human Rights Campaign for 10 consecutive years of 100 percent scores on HRC’s Corporate Equality Index.

The weekend summit can only enhance Nike's position among nearly all its customers, said Ira Kalb, professor of clinical marketing at the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business.

Also, the LGBT market "is very loyal ... and they buy products from companies with equal opportunity in the workplace," Kalb said, "and they pay attention to the news."

Read in full HERE.

Why she's moving to Cleveland: part 7

Gail L Palmer held the title of Alaska Writer’s Guild Slam Champion (two years running) before moving back to the Lower 48 for the greatest reason of all… L-O-V-E

And where has she moved? To Cleveland! We'll be presenting her reasons for loving this choice over the next few days.

Reason 7:

Art

I couldn’t write a better description, so I’m pulling this right from Insider Ohio:

“Often called “One Perfect Mile,” University Circle is the epicenter of Cleveland’s robust art scene. In just one square mile art fans will find the matchless Cleveland Museum of Art, the renowned Cleveland Institute of Art, and the avant-garde Museum of Contemporary Art. But art thrives outside the Circle too, most notably in trendy Tremont, where scores of funky galleries rub shoulders with gourmet bistros. Over in historic Little Italy, eclectic studios share cobblestone lanes with third-generation bakeries. Perhaps taking their creative cue from thriving Playhouse Square, downtown’s galleries are every bit as admired as those beyond the urban core.”

Marcus Urban urges support for petition against Ukrainian homophobia

Out retired footballer Marcus Urban in Huffington Post (h/t Keph Senett):

Soccer is a global sport with a global following -- and it's worth a lot of money. Clubs pay big money to train and develop young, talented players, they offer bigger money to attract the biggest names, companies pay millions in sponsorship and advertisements, merchandise for clubs and players is sold around the world. The pressure to perform -- and conform -- is huge.

The cost of that pressure is simply too high. I know because I paid it. "I am a soccer player, so I can't be gay"; I used to repeat this sentence to myself. In 1991, even though I was one of an elite few of the most promising young, German players, I quit my career.

Every day, I was hiding. Pretending not to be different next to trainers, teachers, managers, fans, relatives. I struggled trying to control every gesture, and I had no life outside of soccer. Still, I wanted to play against the best so the pain endured.

In the end, I had to decide. The choice was soccer or my life. I chose life.

Now, a full 20 years later, has the situation changed? Only a few days ago, Italian team's forward Antonio Cassano said he hopes there are no gay players in his ranks at the European Football Championships (Euro 2012). He's since apologized [sic], but the attitudes linger. This Championship is televised across the world and globally reported. Entire towns and families gather to watch their home team take on the continent. Families with kids who are just like I was. Whether he realizes it or not, Cassano is telling them they must conform. He's teaching them soccer's gay gag rule.

But there are places where things are worse even than they can be on the field. In Ukraine -- where Euro 2012 is hosted this year -- Parliament is about to vote on their own version of the gay gag rule passed in Russia earlier this year. A "propaganda" law to silence any reading, writing, speech or debate on anything "gay."

When I came out, I felt alive again. I was free to speak up and speak out. A right that is about to be denied to all Ukrainians.

It's not only on the field that we need to make a difference. Instead of just reminiscing, I've decided to do something about it. I am supporting people just like me, who are living in Ukraine right now, by speaking up against this law -- and you can stand with me right now, while the attention of the entire worlds on Ukraine and Euro 2012: www.allout.org/ukraine.

Soccer players, fans, and managers alike can all help get rid of the gay gag rule, on and off the field. By speaking out against Cassano's comments the Italian manager, Cesare Prandelli, is making a real difference. Now it's Ukraine's turn -- while the global spotlight is shining on them during Euro 2012. Thousands of people around the world have sent me their own stories after they heard mine. We should all be a part of making sure that soccer, the world's game, is special for every kid including the ones who are just like me.

I hope that one day, my story is part of the distant past. A past that we fought against and one we do not want to see repeated.

David Kopay video for Nike LGBT Sport Summit

Via Outsports, David Kopay, the first former professional athlete to come out of the closet, talks about his experiences and his hope for the future, for the participants at the Nike LGBT Sports Summit.

28 June 2012 / 3rd Hungarian LGBT Business and Human Rights Forum at EuroGames Budapest

3rd Hungarian LGBT Business & Human Rights Forum

28 – 29 June 2012 (Thursday – Friday)
Dürlin Eventshall (H-1146, Budapest, Ajtósi Dürer sor 19-21.)

An event for company directors, CSR, HR, marketing and PR professionals, governmental and non-governmental organizations, as well as the general public..

FORUM TOPICS

Since the event will be part of the EuroGames which will host several thousand guests from all over Europe, the conference will highlight the importance of the contribution made by the European LGBT community to the business community as well as to the sports.

Due to the diversity of participants we expect the conference to add great value to the exchange of ideas and best practices from different parts of the world, innovative ideas and schemes that can be implemented in Hungary and other EU countries as well.

We would also like to share our local experience of the past three years, challenges as well as successes, in working with corporate, SMEs as well as civil organisations.

We expect the conference to attract around 200 high profile stakeholders thus the promotion of diversity and inclusion at the workplace and in the business community through sports competitions and other similar public events will be the leading theme of the conference.

During the 1st Hungarian LGBT Business Leader Forum (http://tiny.cc/bbz1fw) held on May 20th and 21st, 2010 at the Central European University; as well on the 2nd Hungarian LGBT Business & Human Rights Forum (http://tiny.cc/7xz1fw) held on June 16th 2011 at British Embassy in Budapest; it became obvious that there is a great need for professional discussion and awareness raising on the topic of LGBT business and human rights development within the business/employer community.

The conference is bilingual with simultaneous Hungarian-English translation provided.

Please be aware that video recording is not permitted.

The event is free of charge, but advance registration is required: we can guarantee the participation only for the 150 applicants!

Please fill out the registration form online: http://tiny.cc/jhg0fw

WARNING! We can accept only those who will receive our confirmation on June 26th 2012.

---

PROGRAM 1st Day (28 June 2012)

o9:oo – 1o:oo Registration Coffee (Pastry)
1o:oo – 1o:3o Greetings, Opening Speech
British Embassy Budapest, Theresa Bubbear, Deputy Head of Mission
Hungarian LGBT Business Network, Adrian Balaci, Project Manager

1o:3o – 12:oo LGBT Diversity Policies at IBM
IBM, Marijn Pijnenburg, Business Development Executive for Diversity and LGBT in Europe, Middle East and Africa

12:oo – 12:45 LGBT Inclusion Policy Best Practice at Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley, Tophe Farney, Vice President in Bank Resource Management

12:45 – 14:oo Lunch Break Media (Question and Interview Time)

14:oo – 14:3o The Business Case for Supporting LGBT Events like the EuroGames 2012
Generali-Providencia Insurance Ltd., Judit Demjén, Senior Sales Specialist

14:3o – 15:3o Pink and Green Money
FRIGO (Organizer of EuroGames 2012), Richárd Kupecz, Economic Expert

15:3o – 16:3o Network Coffee (Pastry)

2o:oo – 22:oo Dinner for our Speakers and Sponsors


PROGRAM 2nd Day (29 June 2012)

o9:oo – 1o:oo Registration Coffee (Pastry)

1o:oo – 1o:3o Past, Present and Future
Hungarian LGBT Business Network, Adrian Balaci, Project Manager

10:3o – 11:oo LGBT Networks in Austria, Lessons Learned
agpro (austrian gay professionals), Hannes Heissl, Sociologist and Adviser for Corporate Banking

11:oo – 12: oo 1st Roundtable: LGBT Resource Groups and Business Networks
Moderator: Hungarian LGBT Business Network, Ferenc Mucsi, Public Relations Expert
Participants:
IBM, Veronika Blum, Second Delegate of IBM's GLBT workgroup (EAGLE) in Hungary
IBM, Gergely Füzesi, Country Leader of IBM's GLBT workgroup (EAGLE) in Hungary
Morgan Stanley, Éva Bresztyenszky, Executive Director of HR
Morgan Stanley, Tophe Farney, Vice President in Bank Resource Management
agpro (austrian gay professionals), Hannes Heissl, Sociologist and Adviser for Corporate Banking

12:oo – 13:oo Lunch Break

13:oo – 14:oo 2nd Roundtable: LGBT Marketing and Tourism

Moderator: Hungarian LGBT Business Network, Ádám Schlenker, Researcher
Preliminary LGBT Marketing Research Results conducted by the Hungarian LGBT Business Network, Ádám Schlenker)
Participants:
Out Now, Ian Johnson, Founder of Out Now
VISITBRUSSELS, Frederic Boutry, Gay market advisor
visitBerlin, Ralf Ostendorf, Director Marketmanagement

14:oo – 15:oo 3rd Roundtable: Strength to strength – empowering the LGBT employees with coaching and supervision
Moderator: Self Consulting Human Kft., Márton Mányai, Founder
Participants:
Andrea Ritter PhD, clinical psychologist, mediator
Kriszta Hoffmann, Social Worker – Human Rights Trainer and Supervisor

15:oo – 16:oo Closing Network Coffee (Pastry)

19:oo – 21:oo EuroGames VIP Reception (Speakers and Sponsors)

We look forward to seeing you at our event! For further questions, please contact us:
Adrian Balaci, Hungarian LGBT Business Network, Project Manager, E-mail: adrian@gesb.eu
Mucsi Ferenc, Hungarian LGBT Business Network, PR Coordinator, E-mail: mucsiferenc@gmail.com
Forum website: http://frigobudapest.eu/konferenciak/3-magyar-lmbt-uezleti-konferencia.html

You can find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/222277121221637/

Please do not forget to fill out the registration form online: http://tiny.cc/jhg0fw

24 June 2012 / San Francisco Track and Field Club at SF Pride

A message to visitors of San Francisco Pride this weekend:

Come by the San Francisco Track & Field Club beverage booth on Sunday and support out organization! This is one of our BIGGEST fundraisers of the year! Look for us on McAllister Street btwn Polk & Larkin and come thirsty!

FGG Officer for Ceremonies one of Interpride magazine's 16 "Game Changers"

The 2012 Interpride magazine features 16 "Game Changers", "16 amazing Americans who are giving their
all to promote equality on (and off) the court". Among those featured is Federation of Gay Games Officer for Ceremonies Shamey Cramer:

Behind the scenes and off the field, one name has been synonymous with Pride in sports for decades—Shamey Cramer. It all started in 1982 when Cramer founded Team Los Angeles to compete in San Francisco’s inaugural Gay Games. On the heels of that event, he went on to organize L.A.’s Festival Games from 1983 to 1985. Run in conjunction with Los Angeles Pride, it was the first annual LGBT multisport festival in America. A cyclist, speed skater, wrestler and middle-distance runner himself before a traumatic ski accident left him without the use of his right leg, Cramer was also the chair for the first U.S. AIDS Ride and has been a key member of the Federation of Gay Games for years. Most recently, he represented the FGG at the fifth World Conference on Women and Sport in Los Angeles, where he spoke about his efforts over the years. “Sports are as unifying a force as music is,” he says, “and I’m proud to represent an organization that for 30 years has stood for the use of sport to eradicate homophobia, racism and sexism around the globe.”

Read the article here:

Open publication - Free publishing - More 2012

Sydney Gay Games quilt display leads to a commitment to preserve this legacy of lives

From Gay News Network:

Philip Diment’s work as convenor of the AIDS Memorial Quilt Project and service to the community was recognised in this year’s Queens Birthday Honours List. Alex Dunkin reports.

It has been 20 years since Philip Diment first began his work and involvement in the LGBT community and it has now culminated to being recognised in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

The award – Member (AM) in the General Division of the Order of Australia – is in recognition of Diment’s service to the community as convener of the Australian AIDS Memorial Quilt Project which, in 2011, with the help of many supporters and donors, was relocated to a permanent home in the Powerhouse Museum.

The quilt itself is an evocative record of the discovery of HIV AIDS in Australia and the destructive impact on the lives of young same-sex attracted men in the 1980s and 90s. The multi-panel quilt depicts a time when ignorance toward the gay community was rife and the mostly 20- and 30-year-old men were left isolated with little help and potentially no friends as many had already passed away.

Preserving the memory of the quilt sparked Diment into action to ensure the initial impact HIV and AIDS had on the community is not forgotten.

“What inspired me was when I saw it during the last full display at the Gay Games in 2002,” Diment tells SX. “Unless something was done, it was going to end up in someone’s garage somewhere and not secured for the future.

Keep reading HERE.

Why she's moving to Cleveland: part 6

Gail L Palmer held the title of Alaska Writer’s Guild Slam Champion (two years running) before moving back to the Lower 48 for the greatest reason of all… L-O-V-E

And where has she moved? To Cleveland! We'll be presenting her reasons for loving this choice over the next few days.

Reason 6:

LGBT Community Cruising

I bet I got your attention with that one. If ‘cruising’ is your scene then this is a great place – but I’m actually talking about an annual boat cruise where the LGBT community comes together to have fun and raise money. And it’s just one example of the events held for the community and all their friends – because everyone is invited. Just like everyone is invited to participate in the Gay Games when they come to Cleveland in 2014. And everyone means everyone – so will you come play in Cleveland?

Greg Louganis video message to participants at Nike LGBT Sports Summit

Four-time Olympic gold medal diver Greg Louganis talks to the Nike LGBT Sports Summit about his coming out and his hopes for the movement going forward.

En français / 22 June 2012 / FSGL supports project to bring South African lesbian football team to Paris tournament

We are delighted to learn that FGG member organization FSGL has made a substantial financial contribution to Foot for Love, a project to bring a team of South African women football players to this week's "b.yourself" tournament. 

Beyond the tournament this Saturday, each day until the following weekend's Pride Parade will feature a special activity: workshops, exhibitions, film night.

We are confident that the initiative will be repeated so that the organizers, Les Dégommeuses, will be able to bring these women to Cleveland for Gay Games 9.


Via Yagg.com:

La Fédération sportive gaie et lesbienne (FSGL) vient d'annoncer qu'elle soutenait le projet Foot For Love, lancé par Les Dégommeuses avec les LOCs et en partenariat avec Paris Foot Gay et Yagg.


Le soutien de la FSGL est principalement financier – c'est le nerf de la guerre –, puisqu'elle apporte 1500 euros à Foot For Love, qui fait venir à Paris dès le 22 juin et pour une semaine une délégation de footballeuses lesbiennes sud-africaines pour, à travers le sport, mobiliser contre les discriminations et les viols correctifs dont les lesbiennes sont victimes en Afrique du Sud.

Contactée par Yagg, Cécile Chartrain, des Dégommeuses, est ravie: «Autour de ce projet, nous avons réussi à obtenir le soutien de très nombreux partenaires et le soutien de la FSGL s'ajoute à une multitude d'autres, qui vont nous permettre d'accueillir la délégation sud-africaine dans de bonnes conditions.» Pour tout savoir sur ce projet, suivez le blog Foot For Love sur Yagg.

Temps fort de la semaine de mobilisation contre les discriminations lesbophobes, le match des Princesses entre Les Dégommeuses et le club sud-africain Thokozani FC, a lieu dimanche 24 juin, vers 16 heures (entrée libre), dans le cadre du Tournoi b. yourself coordonné par Paris Foot Gay.

Retrouvez tout le programme de la semaine Foot For Love (expo, concert, film, débats) sur le dossier de presse en PDF à télécharger.

David Kopay one of Interpride magazine's "Game Changers"

The 2012 Interpride magazine features 16 "Game Changers", "16 amazing Americans who are giving their
all to promote equality on (and off) the court". Among those featured is Gay Games Ambassador David Kopay:

Even if you don’t follow sports or politics—or weren’t even born in the ’70s—you’ve probably heard David Kopay’s name. And there is a reason for that. He is, by almost all accounts, the single most important figure in gay sports history. An all-American running back at the University of Washington in 1964, he later signed with the San Francisco 49ers, playing with them for nine years and earning a reputation as one of the toughest players in the NFL at the time. His coming out in 1975 shattered the stereotype that gays weren’t masculine enough to play a sport like football. His biography, The David Kopay Story (published two years later), detailed his life in the closet and was a surprise best-seller that has gone on to inspire gays and lesbians for nearly 40 years. In a sport where only two other players have ever publicly acknowledged their sexuality, Kopay’s story
is as relevant now as it was then, and he still is a regular on the speakers’ circuit debating the issue of gays in sports

Read the article here:

Open publication - Free publishing - More 2012

Nike LGBT Sports Summit concludes with call for action for young athletes

Groundbreaking Nike LGBT Sports Summit Takes on Bullying, Homophobia and Transphobia in Sports
Comprehensive Action Plan Aims to Redefine ‘Athletic Champion’

(Beaverton, OR, June 18, 2012)—Many of the nation’s top lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer sports leaders joined Nike representatives at Nike World Headquarters for the first-ever Nike LGBT Sports Summit to combat bullying and anti-LGBTQ bias and discrimination in sports.

Advocates and organizations pooled their expertise and strengths over the last four days—June 14 to June 17—to develop a unified plan to end harassment and discrimination against LGBTQ athletes and coaches in kindergarten through high school, college, recreational sports, and professional sports.

In the next year, this newly formed LGBTQ sports coalition will work to achieve the following goals:

• Each of the major American professional sports leagues will be engaged to work with our member organizations toward inclusion in their league.
• The visibility of out collegiate athletes, coaches, and allies will be increased through a multi-pronged approach.
• The national youth and adult recreational leagues will receive a LGBTQ inclusive model policy, and at least five leagues　will have adopted such a policy.
• Two million young people will have heard a new, inclusive definition of "athletic champion," and their physical education teachers and coaches will have received inclusive training resources.

Outsports co-founder Cyd Zeigler began developing the summit last year after identifying a failure by LGBTQ sports advocates to work together toward a common goal. Zeigler then joined forces with National Center for Lesbian Rights Sports Project Director Helen Carroll and Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network’s Changing the Game Sports Director Pat Griffin. Zeigler approached Nike about hosting the event, and they jumped at the chance.

"As athletes and coaches, we all understand the power of working as a team," said Zeigler. "This summit has given us the unique opportunity to identify our common goals and move forward as a united movement. Working together, we will dismantle bullying and anti-LGBTQ bias and discrimination in sports in the next four years."

Said Carroll: "I am excited to see transgender people, people of color, men, women and allies in sports working together to create a unified movement that captures the power of our different experiences and voices. The strength from this collaboration and these specific plans will make the sports world safer and more inclusive for all."

Organizations involved in the summit included: American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance; Athlete Ally; Br{ache the Silence; Campus Pride; ESPN; Fearless campaign; Federation of Gay Games; Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD); Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN); I Am Enough; It Gets Better project; National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR); National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); Nike; Our Group; Outsports; StandUp Foundation; and You Can Play project.

"This summit happened at the right time," said Griffin. "We are riding the crest of a wave of attitude change about LGBTQ people in sports. We hope that the action plans that were identified at the summit will speed up this change."

Plans for future summits include an open invitation to other organizations and individuals to join these and future action plans to eliminate bullying and LGBTQ bias and discrimination in sports.

The event concluded with summit participants joining the Nike contingency in the Portland Pride Parade.

En français / New French sports minister expresses desire for collaboration with FGG

After her nomination in the provisional government of François Hollande's prime minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, the FGG wrote to new minister for sport Valérie Fourneyron, formerly the mayor of Cleveland's sister city Rouen. She has responded with a very cordial letter (English text below). Ms Fourneyron is expected to be confirmed as minister after the results of the second round of legislative elections last weekend, during which she handily won reelection to her seat in the National Assembly (which she will now resign, per French law which bars ministers from serving in the Parliament).

Allow me to express my warm thanks for your message following my nomination as Minister of Sport, Youth, Popular Education and Associations.

This special attention greatly moved me.

Heading this ministry with a wide scope of action is both an honor and recognition of the work accomplished by a team. Within the admniistration of Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, I am committed to respecting the engagements of the President.

Thank you again for your message and your support.

With my warm wishes,

Valérie Fourneyron

(handwritten note follows)

Be assured of my determination to be at your side for an effective collaboration, beyond the twin city relationship of Cleveland and Rouen, and my friendship with Valarie McCall.

Why she's moving to Cleveland: part 5

Gail L Palmer held the title of Alaska Writer’s Guild Slam Champion (two years running) before moving back to the Lower 48 for the greatest reason of all… L-O-V-E

And where has she moved? To Cleveland! We'll be presenting her reasons for loving this choice over the next few days.

Reason 5:

Energy

Unfortunately I’m not talking about green energy – but something equally important to me – and that’s the energy of the city and its people. And the energy in Cleveland is good. From the store clerks who greet you with warmth to the strangers who seem genuinely happy in their daily lives, the energy is palpable. The city even has a downtown trolley that’s “free with a smile” – and how cool is that?

URGENT: Order your country-specific Eurogames t-shirt now (deadline tonight at midnight)

A message from Eurogames 2012:

If you have participated in the Eurogames, you will have taken home hundreds of photos, fridge magnets, and memories.

At Eurogames 2012 you can bring home a special souvenir. We've designed for each country a special Eurogames t-shirt, to wear at opening ceremony, through out the Games, and when you go home. The shirt is available for most participating countries, with the Italian shirt shown as an example.

This is our special Eurogames design for your country, as you can see the symbol of your national flag, and the name of your country in your national language.


How to order

Available sizes are : S-M-L-XL, XXL, in a unisex design.

You can pay via Paypal or at the registration point when you get your accreditation at Budapest Eurogames Village.

Paypal price: 14.99 €
Cash price: 16.99 € or 5.000 HUF

Note: If your shirt is not prepaid, you will need to pay at accreditation. If not, you will not receive your accreditation.


If you like to order one of these t-shirts, please follow the steps below:

Step 1: You choose that many t-shirts you want and their size(s)
Step 2: To pay by Paypal, click on the "Donate with PayPal" banner on www.eurogamesbudapest.hu and make the payment via the donation system (you can also pay by cash or Paypal at accreditation)
Step 3: Write an email to tshirteg@gmail.com and provide the following information:
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VERY IMPORTANT! Order deadline is TODAY at midnight!!!!

Billy Bean one of Interpride magazine's 16 "Game Changers"

The 2012 Interpride magazine features 16 "Game Changers", "16 amazing Americans who are giving their
all to promote equality on (and off) the court". Among those featured is Gay Games Ambassador Billy Bean:

Imagine having to play a baseball game on the day your lover died. That’s what Billy Bean went through while signed with the San Diego Padres in the late 1990s. Deeply in the closet at a time when no other professional baseball player had ever declared his sexuality, Bean tried to keep his emotions inside—but the stress of the closet was too much. Within a year, he decided to walk away from the sport entirely, leaving at the peak of his career. Then, he did something even more unthinkable. He sat down with 20/20 and the New York Times and confirmed that he was gay. Looking back, Bean believes he could have done things a bit differently. “If only I had told my parents, I probably would have played two or three more years and understood that I could come out a step at a time,” he says. Still, he has no regrets. Since those fateful interviews, he’s become an author, a spokesman for the HRC and an overall activist for LGBT rights, determined to help others feel comfortable coming out and not make the mistakes he did. “The people who are the heroes to me today,” he says, “are those 15-year-olds in junior high school in middle America who are able to look at who they are and tell the truth.”

Read the article here:

Open publication - Free publishing - More 2012

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Where at the Ls in LGBT sport?

Gareth Johnson writes in GayStarNews on the lack of lesbians in LGBT sports clubs:


If you look at the website of any LGBT community-based sports club, the goals, objectives and sentiment are generally pretty similar and very inclusive.

For example, Frontrunners proclaims that it’s mission is to ‘promote the sports of running, walking and related athletic activities for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders and their supporters’. But if you talk to most Frontrunners clubs around the world and their membership is dominated by middle-aged gay men.

This situation is consistent in LGBT sports clubs around the world:

• 
  
• The Capital Splats racquetball club in Washington was only established in 2010, but already its membership is skewed towards gay men - with lesbians making up only 15% of the club’s membership.
• The Toronto Triggerfish , established in 2001 are Canada’s largest water polo club (and the world’s largest LGBT water polo club), but only 19% of their 80 members are women.
• For Rainbow Squash in Amsterdam , established in 1997, lesbians make up only 20% of its membership.
• And yet it’s undeniable that lesbians love sport and are actively participating in sport at all levels. So what is it about LGBT sports clubs that is a turn-off for women?

Keep reading HERE.

Matthew Mitcham one of 24 celebs promoting marriage equality in Marie Claire Australia

The Australian edition of Marie Claire magazine has a feature promoting marriage equality, currently a hot top in the country. Among the personalities in their special feature is Gay Games Ambassador Matthew Mitcham. We also note the presence of rugby star David Pocock.

Rugby star David Pocock

Ben Cohen featured as ally in Interpride magazine

The 2012 Interpride magazine lists Ben Cohen in its "allies" report:

BEN COHEN, the straight 34-year-old English Rugby World Cup champion, has never been bothered by the fact that gay men constitute a huge percentage of his beefcake calendar–buying fan base. In a world in which many homophobic athletes still worry about showering with gay teammates, Cohen is refreshingly free of sexual hang-ups—always willing to donate a signed jockstrap for auction or to be photographed in his underwear in support of his favorite causes: anti-bullying and the elimination of homophobia in sports.

Having retired from rugby in 2011, the married father of 4-year-old twins decided to create the Ben Cohen Stand Up Foundation (standupfoundation.com), a group dedicated to raising awareness of the long-term, damaging effects of bullying and homophobia.

“It’s about using sports icons at every level from international and professional to local small-town schools,” he says. “Coaches, teachers and players have to understand that there is always someone young and impressionable looking up to them. Our foundation asks them to look at bullying and homophobia and commit to combating them.”

His efforts are already paying off. He’s partnered with England’s Home Office and successfully urged many English sports teams to sign a charter that declares their intolerance for bullying, homophobia and transphobia.

“It’s fantastic what sports clubs can achieve in their own communities,” he says. “Homophobia and bullying begin with the earliest schooling. That is where we need to provide the most education. The whole infrastructure that molds a child’s feelings about sports and sexuality is where we should concen-trate our efforts to make sure that teachers and coaches are on board with our message of intolerance for bullying and homophobia.” —Tony Adams

Read the article here:

Open publication - Free publishing - More 2012

Easier access to WADA resources for education on doping

A message from WADA. The FGG has chosen to focus its anti-doping policy on education and prevention, and this library provides easy access to resources on the subject:

WADA has launched a new Digital Library designed to make WADA’s education and information tools more accessible to its stakeholders.

The Library will assist stakeholders in developing their education programs by pin-pointing tools available for the target groups they wish to reach.

Results of a survey of 597 WADA stakeholders in January 2011 revealed that the education and information tools available were highly-valued but required better means of access.

The Digital Library is accessible on WADA’s website in English (library.wada-ama.org) and in French (bibliotheque.wada-ama.org).

Billie Jean King on Elton John, Title IX, marriage equality and more

From an interview with Gay Games Ambassador Billie Jean King on Washingtonian.com:

Many people don’t know the story of Elton John and his hit song “Philadelphia Freedom”—that it was written for you and the World Team Tennis franchise by the same name. How exactly did that come to pass with him?

It was so amazing. I played for Philadelphia my first year, 1974. I had met Elton John in ’73. Elton started to come out to the Freedom matches and sit on the bench. And we made sure he had a uniform, and he was like our cheerleader, our surrogate coach—and he just loved it. When he wasn’t touring, he’d come. He loved tennis. So one time we’re going to one of his concerts, and we’re sitting in the backseat of a car, and he goes, “I want to write a song for you.” And I think he’s kidding, and he says, “No, I’m serious. What are we going to call it?” And I’m like, “Oh, my God, I have no idea.” And then he says, “How about if we call it ‘Philadelphia Freedom?’” And he wrote it in the summer of ’74, just after the team tennis season, and it became number one. It was a very big hit. I think we have the best signature song in sports, and nobody ever talks about it. I mean, it’s an amazing story, I think.

Let’s quickly touch on some other topics. This year is also the 40th anniversary of Title IX. And as one of the women who’s been at the forefront of equal opportunity in sports and in every walk of life, what are your thoughts on the impact that ruling has had four decades later?

Well, it’s incredible. And it didn’t just impact sports. Before 1972, if you wanted to be a doctor at Harvard, they only had a 5 percent quota. I met a woman the other day who said her mother was in a class of 500 and they only had 12 women. And what ’72 did is open up the doors and never let that happen again. And now 54 percent of the college enrollment is women. And it would never have happened if it hadn’t been for Title IX.

Read in full HERE.

Nominations to close soon for European Diversity Awards

It would be great to have people from the LGBT sport and culture movement recognized! 

The European Diversity Awards are independent awards that recognise and celebrate those organisations and individuals that have shown innovation, creativity and commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion during 2012.

The awards recognise excellence in the areas of gender, disability, sexual orientation, age, race, culture and religion across Europe.

The Awards, headline sponsored in 2011 by Google, are designed to showcase those individuals and organisations who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.

The pan-European nature of this exciting project guarantees that the awards will highlight the E&D credentials of nominees from across the entire continent.


The awards are peer assessed by a panel of leading diversity professionals and diversity champions from across Europe. The panel is chaired by Mark Palmer-Edgecumbe, Google EMEA Head of Diversity.

Learn more and submit nominations HERE.

Why she's moving to Cleveland: part 3

Gail L Palmer held the title of Alaska Writer’s Guild Slam Champion (two years running) before moving back to the Lower 48 for the greatest reason of all… L-O-V-E

And where has she moved? To Cleveland! We'll be presenting her reasons for loving this choice over the next few days.

Reason 3:

Economic Development

I’m not an economist and I don’t care to read a ton of reports, but I happen to have a friend who knows what’s happening on the ground in Cleveland – and the reports are good. One fun development includes the recent addition of Food Trucks to the streets and events of Cleveland. These portable restaurants “make areas safer and more vibrant” according to Kevin (read more at Cleveland.com) and one Cleveland food truck owner recently won national recognition by finishing second on “The Great Food Truck Race” on Food Network – and now he’s about to open a brick and mortar restaurant in my new home town. Yum!

24 June 2012 / Team Chicago welcomes all to join them at Pride Parde

A message from Team Chicago:

Pride Parade is Sunday, June 24thn with Montrose and Broadway as the staging area. Who wants to come out and represent Team Chicago Athletics and Gay Games? Got some awesome t-shirts on the way!

And view a cool photo mosaic from past Chicago Pride Parades HERE.

Greg Louganis mentoring Olympic diving hopefuls

Gay Star News interviews Gay Games Ambassador Greg Louganis on his work with US Olympic divers:

American divers have failed to win any Olympic medals in the last two Summer Games and won just one in 2000.

So who better to motivate them than the man who has won more diving medals in US history: Greg Louganis.

Louganis, winner of two golds as the 1984 Games in Los Angeles, two gold at the 1988 Games in Seoul, and a silver at the 1976 Games in Montreal when he was still in high school, was brought in by US Diving in 2010 as an athlete mentor to the Olympic hopefuls.

He will be at the 2012 Games in London hoping to see some of the younger Americans make it to the winner's podium.

'I'm just hoping it's not too little too late because two years is not much time to prepare because preparation for an Olympic Games, it's really a lifetime endeavor,' he admits. 'You really are committed and it's an entire process.'

While his presence is welcomed by the athletes, Louganis says he has not felt the same embrace from all of the coaches.

'It's been a little challenging with the coaches,' he says. 'The divers have been very accepting. The coaches feel threatened in some way. I don't know why. But I'm not coaching, I'm not a coach. I'm a mentor.'

Keep reading HERE.

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